The Aldrich Alert
Gary Aldrich

A Publication of
the Patrick Henry Center for Individual Liberty

Roundup Time

May 29, 2001

We’re inching closer to that awful anniversary date of Sept. 11, when
last year our lives were changed forever. No longer can we assume safety
for ourselves or our loved ones. We have joined Israel and Great Britain
and other nations who have been victims of a special kind of horror.

For years we watched in relative security as bombs were detonated all
over the world  the desperate, evil acts of those who cannot find
peaceful means to pursue their political agenda. Meanwhile, we have found
a way to tolerate our own homegrown terrorists  the violent criminals
who have all but taken over our cities and roam our interstate highways
at will. And we have told ourselves that rampant, steady, deadly crime
is the price of living in a free society.

If we lose 3,000 citizens in a single day, that’s huge news. But if we
lose 20,000 citizens to violent crime over the course of a year, that’s
a segment for "America’s Most Wanted"  unless, of course,
you’re Chandra Levy’s mom and dad, or one of the loved ones of the victims
of violent crime.

Now we have both plagues. But, what steps have been taken by the federal
government after they have spent more than eight months investigating
terrorists with one of the largest manhunts ever? They’ve had and will
continue to have hearings and investigations so that they can avoid another
9-11. They have pointed fingers and shifted the blame. There is a steady
parade of cabinet officers, heads of agencies and others to warn us about
potential dangers. They can identify specific targets that they believe
the terrorists have in mind for their next atrocity.

All these procedures could have a positive outcome, but there is one
big thing the FBI and other law enforcement agencies can do right
now to give us more protection and mitigate the threat that seems
to be growing by the day. It’s so obvious that I know even a hard-left
liberal can agree with this:

We can have another roundup of suspects.

Immediately following 9-11, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies
did a sweep of all known suspects, mostly illegal aliens who matched a
certain description, and as a result, we have been incident free for eight
peaceful months. After the arrests, detentions, roundups (call it what
you want), the FBI and other agencies continued their search with a massive
investigation to learn the identities and whereabouts of additional terrorists.

They’ve been working feverishly around the clock, weekends, holidays
 and they have even traveled the globe to identify and track as
many terrorists as possible. While our great military does its job, FBI
agents pore over documents, examine the results of surveillance and listen
to wiretaps.

Now we are being told that bombers can waltz into the Statue of Liberty,
or walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, or do whatever they want, whenever
they want. Meanwhile, the "loyal" opposition is harping on the
Bush White House about what they knew before 9-11 and when they knew it.

Both parties seem to have lost direction here. Why isn’t anybody asking
the most obvious questions: Where are the rest of the indictments? When
are we going to see some more arrests? When are we going to launch the
next roundup of illegal-alien suspects?

There is one sure way to eliminate the threat of terrorism: Kill the
terrorists or lock them up. Lately, we’ve been distracting ourselves with
arguments about who’s at fault for what happened in the past. In the meantime,
terrorists  who are mostly illegal aliens  apparently walk
and drive on our streets with complete freedom.

Who do these terrorists think they are? Do they think they have the same
rights as our own homegrown terrorists? Do we think they have the
same rights as our homegrown terrorists? Will flawed logic force us to
extend our tolerance for domestic terrorism to illegal aliens?

Do we have to put up with the inaction and timid responses of our federal
government because of the fear of possible lawsuits brought about by "profiling"
so that a few can continue to worship the god of political correctness?

I don’t know the answer, but my family and I hope somebody can figure
this out in a hurry. I know pragmatic people think they have to factor
in mainstream-media reactions and those awful, dreaded lawsuits!
But sometimes, to save a country, you just "gotta do what ya gotta
do!"